Thesis advisor: Thanh V. Tran / Purpose: According to census estimates, Asians are one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the US, and the fastest growing group among all elderly. This study examines the impact of acculturation, measured as English ability, along with other predictors on health for older Asian Americans. Data Sources: Data from the 2009 American Community Survey and the National Latino and Asian American Study were used to examine large-scale population characteristics of Asian American elderly. Measures: A broad view of health (physical, mental, Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(iADLs)) was examined using items capturing functional disability. Psychological health was examined using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Analytical Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, logistic regression analysis, and path analysis was conducted. Results: CFA suggests scales are reliable for use. Cross-cultural comparability was found for psychological distress, but not for functional disability. Results indicated that English ability predicted lower disability, but had no relationship to psychological distress. Higher levels of intergenerational family conflict increased distress for Asian elders. Perceived discrimination, which represents a form of social marginalization, emerged as a key mediating variable and was consistently associated with poorer mental health. Conclusion: This study provided key insights into the applicability and measurement invariance of two key measures of health for older Asian Americans. While the measures captured health reasonably well, the results suggest confounds for this population, which may be due to perceptions of disability, language, immigration status, social networks, health insurance status, and access to services. Acculturation is a process involving the individual and the family, and can cut across age groups and generations. Policies should emphasize the development of culturally-specific services for Asian American elders. The study highlights that social workers must engage families across generations and the lifespan when working with Asian elders. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.